Police are still investigating the Dutch family in Ruinerwold. Photo / Facebook
Police are still investigating the Dutch family in Ruinerwold. Photo / Facebook
The father of six children who were allegedly locked away at a remote Dutch farmhouse posted photos bizarre photos of himself working out as his children were locked up.
Gerrit-Jan van Dorsten, 67, was arrested and charged last week with unlawful deprivation of liberty, as well as abuse and money laundering, after his eldest son, Jan Zon van Dorsten, escaped the farm in Ruinerwold and raised the alarm.
When police arrived at the property they found Gerrit-Jan and his children, aged between 18 and 25, hidden in a small room inside the house.
Police have described the case as "exceptional". Photo / News.com.au
In a statement, officers said the family may have lived in the house with each other, separated from society, since 2010.
However Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant has since linked Gerrit-Jan with a Facebook page and online blog where he appeared to interact with followers and post photos, videos and articles under the name John Eagles.
On these sites, 'Eagles' promoted everything from his daily exercise routine to gardening tips and religious theories.
"The rowing machine is finished," he wrote in one post, alongside a video of himself on a handmade wooden contraption.
'John Eagles' on a wooden rowing machine. Photo / Facebook
He promoted everything from gardening tips to exercise online. Photo / Facebook
"It works very well and gives a good workout for many parts of the body. This is now part of my daily exercise routine," he said.
In another post he wrote: "The winter has been soft this year and we're still eating fresh vegetables each day".
In one Facebook post, uploaded in April 2013, he apologises for "not looking so clean. The sandy knees are from work in the garden and I have three dogs that like to jump on me with their dirty feet."
The photo shows him poised in his "daily Tai Chi body training" pose.
He also boasted of his homemade "moccasins", saying in 2012, "walking in your own shoes, isn't that an important thing in life?
"We've made our first step in making this pair of moccasins, according to our own design."
On Monday, the Dutch Public Prosecution Service tweeted that Gerrit-Jan's detention had been extended for at least another 14 days.
SPIRITUAL BATTLE
De Telegraaf reports that it has seen a video in which he talks about his belief in a spiritual war between good and evil spirits.
The publication says that it appears to have been filmed about four years ago before he retired with the six children to the farm in Ruinerwold, rented by Austrian woodworker Josef Brunner.
Dutch media say 'John Eagles' is Gerrit-Jan van Dorsten. Photo / Facebook
Van Dorsten - left bedridden after a stroke - has been taken away from his kids, aged 18 to 25, who were so isolated that they speak in a "fantasy language".
He was first believed to be a victim of controlling pal Brunner, 58, who is already facing illegal imprisonment charges.
But police said: "He is suspected of complicity in unlawful deprivation of liberty, mistreatment affecting the health of others - and money laundering."
Chilling etchings were recently found in the home, and have sparked fears the "Moonie" cult had Satanic links.
'LOCKED OUT OF SIGHT'
After Brunner's arrest, it emerged the alleged captives were held in makeshift cells in a hidden dungeon.
Janny Knol, chief of the north Netherlands police, described the area where the children were kept as an "enclosed space" within the farm building divided "into small compartments".
Police probing the mystery also revealed an amount of cash - believed to be thousands of Euros - was found when the house was searched in Ruinerwold, 90km from Amsterdam.
Sources said evidence was found at the spooky tree-shrouded property suggesting the dad had "common cause" with bearded former cult member Brunner.
The adult children - so isolated that some are unable to talk coherently - are now being cared for at a secret location while being assessed by mental health experts and counsellors.
The alarm was raised when eldest alleged victim Jan Zon van Dorsten, 25, sneaked out and asked a village barman for help last Sunday.
Chris Westwerbeek told The Sun he was disturbed by the dishevelled stranger - who revealed he and his siblings had not left their home for nine years while they waited for the end of the world.
Westwerbeek said: "He looked odd in baggy clothes that appeared years out of date but there was something unearthly about him that worried me.
Twenty-five-year-old Jan was also active on social media for months before his escape, posting pictures on Facebook of the trees around him and of sites around Ruinerwold at night.
Jan was active on social media for months before his escape. Photo / Facebook
"You know that work is inspiring and going really well when you still can't leave it alone at 3am Sunday," one post from August 18 read.
He and his siblings are now being cared for "in a safe place", according to police, with officers saying the children could read and write, but may never have visited a doctor or dentist.
Brunner, the 58-year-old Austrian handyman who rented the farmhouse, has also been arrested and charged with deprivation of liberty and money laundering.
Last week police confirmed they were investigating a large stash of cash found at the property, which was "not a couple of tens".
